The present invention is a dental implant system for securing a dental prosthesis to the bone in the mandible or maxilla of a dental patient.
Traditional dental implant systems are expensive, mostly because of the number of steps necessary in the implant procedure as well as the number and non-uniformity of parts used to create the dental prosthesis.
In the past, dentists have had to use dental implants that have several different components, each of which increases the chance of introducing non-sterile matter into the patient. Typically, a dental implant consists of the implant, an abutment piece, a screw to anchor the abutment to the implant, and other attachments on the ends of the abutments to fasten the various dental prostheses. Each of these parts adds additional cost in the form of time and materials to both the dentist and the patient.
Another problem with prior dental implants is the non-uniformity of equipment. Each type of dental structure may require a different implant with which to anchor the structure to the jaw of the patient.
It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to provide a system and method to implant a dental prosthesis in a patient""s mouth that is substantially less expensive, stronger, safer, and consumes less time to implement than the existing art dental implant assemblies.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved universal abutment that can be connected to various sized implants and can be adapted to attach various dental prostheses. Such an abutment system will provide more stability from lateral, rotational, and axial forces than current dental implant structures and therefore is less likely to become disengaged from the patient.
This dental implant anchor consists of an external body surface that can be either threaded or non-threaded and a uniquely designed internal structure to engage screws, abutments, and insertion tools in one step. The internal portion consists of three unique sections that have not been used in dental implant technology before. The top consists of a typical collar, the middle consists of the typical threads, and the bottom is a unique design that extends the length of the threaded portion with a surface designed to engage a wrench, such as a hex wrench. The collar, which has an O-ring groove, holds the dental implant during insertion and stabilizes the dental abutment. The collar design increases physical strength because the area between body and threads on the second stage is drastically improved. It also increases stability of the second stage abutment wall-to-wall connection. The middle threaded section fixes the abutment and screws. The unique bottom extended surface offers three important functions not previously used in the technology: 1) It allows the insertion tool to screw and unscrew the dental implant with the doctor""s hand piece; 2) It improves resistance to lateral forces on the abutment; and 3) It provides a surface to cement the abutment to the dental implant anchor.
A novel system for packaging and insertion of this implant has been developed to allow for sterile shipment and installation of the implant. The packaging comprises an external capsule structure with a lower outer cover tube and an upper outer cover tube. The diameter of the interface region on the upper outer cover tube is slightly smaller than that of the lower outer cover tube in the corresponding region to allow the end of the upper tube to slide inside the lower outer cover tube. The outer capsule (lower and upper tubes) is removed, and there is a lower internal tube that covers the implant that is attached to the insertion tool, leaving the upper end of the insertion tool free to be attached to the dentist""s hand piece. After the upper end of the insertion tool is attached to the hand piece, the lower internal tube is removed and the implant is ready for insertion. The lower internal tube has a diameter slightly smaller than that of the upper outer cover tube to allow the end of the lower internal tube to be inserted in the end of the upper outer cover tube, securing it in place. The insertion tool has a wrench on one end that fits in the wrench engaging surface of the implant or abutment; the other end is adapted for use in a dentist""s hand piece; and a collar in the middle separates the two regions. The insertion tool has an O-ring in the area above the wrench end that holds the implant to the insertion tool during shipment and insertion. The insertion tool has another O-ring above the collar that holds the insertion tool and implant to the lower internal tube of the packaging.
In summary, this dental implant system has the following novel features:
1) Uniform internal dimensions to allow use of a universal abutment for all types of dental prostheses.
2) A wrench that engages in the area beneath the internal threaded surface to allow easy implantation and extraction of the implant.
3) Overall increased internal length to allow for increased stability and resistance to lateral forces with the use of the described abutment device.
4) The wrench engaging area provides an area in which dental cement may be applied to further affix the abutment and provide increased stability, decreasing the possibility that the prosthesis or abutment will become disengaged from the implant.
5) An upper region allows for improved force dissipation and acts to secure the implant to the implantation tool during insertion.
6) A single piece abutment system allows the same abutment to be used for all sizes of dental implants and can be used with a variety of dental prostheses as a way to make this implant system more cost effective for dentists and patients.
These and other advantages will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment in conjunction with illustrative figures, although variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the disclosure.